MADINAH, 25 June 2007 — The Traffic Police of Madinah has become the talk of the town for allegedly being “overstrict” in enforcing traffic penalties and jailing violators.
“The behavior of Madinah’s Traffic Police defies all logic... Traffic violators are being treated like criminals,” said Ghazi Al-Maimani, a Saudi resident.
Traffic cops stopped Al-Maimani last Wednesday for speeding. “I was dragged like a criminal into a cell that was filled with more than 180 other traffic violators. I couldn’t even find a place to sit down,” he said.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Saadi, another Saudi resident, said he was jailed for over 20 hours last week after being accused of running a red light. “I was driving within the speed limit and when I came to the traffic light it turned amber. It was impossible to stop at that point and so I continued driving,” he said, adding that a short while later he was stopped by police, who refused to listen to his explanation.
“A policeman grabbed me by the collar and pushed me into a police car like a criminal,” he said. After arriving at the police station, Al-Saadi tried to talk with the managing officer to explain what had happened but was instead jailed. “The room could hardly fit 100 people but there were more than 170 people inside,” he said.
After speaking with fellow inmates, Al-Saadi said that most of them denied the charges against them and said they were mainly respectable and mature citizens. “It just strikes you how all these people could possibly be wrong and the policemen be right,” he said.
Al-Saadi remained in jail until early morning without food, water or even a place to pray. “Some people were ill and others were diabetic and in need of medication. To make things worse, the policeman in charge wouldn’t even bother listening to our calls,” he said.
Talal Al-Suhaimi said that he was stopped by undercover police while driving with his 12-year-old brother. He said that when he was arrested the police refused to allow him to go drop his brother off at home.
“They didn’t even allow me to call my family to pick him up, instead they took me in a police car leaving my brother alone in the street,” he said, adding that it was only at the police station that he managed to contact his father to tell him what had happened and that he needed to pick his younger brother up.
Col. Siraj Kamal, head of Madinah Traffic Police, said crossing an amber light is considered a violation. He added that 90 percent of people arrested in relation to traffic violations lie about what they have done.
“We don’t favor anyone, violators are punished regardless of whether they’re doctors, academics or workers. Everyone is equal before law,” he said, adding that police need to be strict since many people break traffic laws.
“We need to be strict to ensure the public’s safety, especially in light of the high percentage of traffic accidents that take place in the Kingdom,” he said.
According to leading Saudi researcher Naif Al-Shammary, car accidents each year cause the deaths of at least 4,000 people, injuring over 30,000 others and incur financial losses of over SR21 billion.
